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You sat down on the couch and peered to your left. Sitting next to you was Rengoku, his skin glowing red. Earlier last week, he forgot to reapply sunscreen when he and the rest of the hashiras were at the beach for a mission. They needed to work undercover as tourists to hunt down a demon terrorizing the coast. They were successful, but Rengoku was careless.
His face was in a grimace, his eyes dull, until he saw you staring at him. He smiled, albeit a bit forced, and asked you, “What’s wrong, Y/N? You don’t look very happy.”
Your glare sufficed as an answer. He usually wears long sleeved shirts and pants, but today he was wearing a tank top and shorts. You can only imagine how he is feeling with his burns, his movements stiff.
“Oh, really?” you snapped. You sound mean, but you’re just irritated at how careless he was.
He gives you an embarrassed smile and looks at his arms. He gingerly touches his skin and says, “I know, I know, I was negligent during the mission.”
You sigh and get up off the cushions, “I’ll be right back.” You walk to the kitchen while Rengoku glances at you. Opening the fridge, you move around the jars and containers until you see a small green bottle nestled in the back. Taking it out, you read the label: 100% Aloe Vera Gel. Walking back to the couch, Rengoku eyes at what you’re holding.
“What’s that?” Rengoku inquired. You showed him the label of the bottle and his eyes lit up. “Where did you get that from? I didn’t know that we had that!” This time his smile was genuine, looking almost relieved.
“I found this in the fridge. Now brace yourself because it’s cold.” You sit down next to him and open the cap. Rengoku begins to gently take off his shirt. You feel your face heat up as you watch his muscles flex under the fabric. You don’t know why, but it’s recently been harder to be around the man. You feel flustered when you’re around him, and you notice his body in ways you haven’t thought of before. You catch yourself staring at him more than you would like to admit.
With him facing away, you begin to squeeze a dollop of the gel onto your fingers. You gently apply the gel onto his shoulder blades, the heat from his skin warming your hands. He noticeably tenses up at first, but soon relaxes as the gel is spread out. The next few minutes are held in silence as you apply the aloe to the rest of his body. His body is covered in scars, evidence of what he’s been through. He begins to lean into your fingers, enjoying the relief. You pray he doesn’t turn around, as your cheeks are quickly heating up.
“That feels great Y/N, can you put some more near my neck?” Rengoku sighs, peeking back. You turn away, avoiding eye contact as you squeeze more gel onto your fingers. With your other hand, you gently push his hair over his shoulder. It is surprisingly soft, the light playing across his locks. Some strands decided to stick to his skin. You hold your breath as you try to push them out of the way, avoiding touching him.
Once you get his hair out of the way, you begin to rub the aloe onto his neck. As you cover more skin, you begin to slowly trail down his spine, feeling each bump of his vertebrae. Rengoku flexes his arms, stretching up into the air. You stop and struggle to tear your eyes away from him as you wait for him to finish. Once he’s done, you clear your throat as you close the cap to the aloe.
“Well I covered all of the areas that needed it,” you stammered out. You begin to stand and realize that you’ve been sweating quite a bit.
Rengoku turns around and smiles at you, his eyes relaxed. “Thanks, Y/N, my back feels so much better now!”
“W-what about your arms? And your face? They’re just as burnt,” you ask, glancing down at him. You can feel your heartbeat in your ears now.
“Oh, this? I can handle that, so don’t worry about it.” Rengoku begins to reach for the bottle that you’re holding. Before thinking about what you say, you blurt out, “I can help with that too!”
Rengoku gapes at you, surprised. You don’t notice the blush forming underneath his sunburn. Time seems to stop until he cracks a small smile and quietly says, “Okay.”
You sit back down again, opening the bottle once more. Rengoku holds his arms out and you squeeze a line of gel down both of them. You gingerly rub the aloe in, your hands feeling cold compared to the heat radiating off his skin. His eyes stare intently at your hands moving, not saying a word.
Once done with his arms, you glimpse him staring back into your eyes. Hesitating, you add gel onto your hands for the last time. You slowly raise your hand next to his face and ghost his cheek. He struggles to make eye contact, suddenly finding interest in the ceiling above him. You begin to apply aloe around his cheeks and skin, noticing the small bumps and divots on his skin. It only makes him seem more real, never having a chance to see his face this close. You focus on the bridge of his nose next, and then his forehead.
Before you know it, you finished treating him. You silently curse at yourself, wishing that you moved slower, however agonizing it may be. You move back, seeing your work. Rengoku finally looks back at you, and after a heavy pause, utters a soft, “Thanks.”
His eyes shine like fire, his yellow and red irises wavering. You find it impossible to break away from his gaze. He slowly moves closer.
Before you have time to react, you hear a loud thud in the background. You hear the muffled voice of Zenitsu being cut off by Inosuke’s yelling. That breaks the spell between you and Rengoku, and you take a deep breath.
You quickly stand up and Rengoku scoots away, studying his pant leg. You begin to leave, stopping at the door.
“If you need any more help with your sunburn, let me know,” you say, just above a whisper. You turn to leave, not wanting to endure this torture any longer. You walk away with your heart pounding, not noticing Rengoku’s stare.